In general, research into cells and tissues has been conducted by placing cells to be cultured in a culture apparatus and then simulating the cells or analyzing natural culture processes of the cells.
However, cells in living bodies in which activities of cellular tissues actually occur are subjected to very active mechanical stimuli. Therefore, the influence of mechanical stimuli on the behavior and growth of cells and tissues has to be experimentally investigated for efficient research into the state of culture of cells. However, it is very difficult to perform such experiments in an in vitro environment using current cell culture systems.
In the related art, various techniques for applying various mechanical stimuli to cells in vitro have been used to address the above-mentioned problems. For example, methods such as applying a negative pressure to the inside of a micropipette, applying mechanical stimuli using magnetic beads and magnets, applying mechanical stimuli by introducing a fluid, or contracting and relaxing a flexible plate by applying external force to the flexible plate have been used for cell culture.
However, since apparatuses for such methods usually have centimeter-sized areas, it is difficult to observe and analyze single-cell differentiation and culture using the apparatuses. Therefore, it is difficult to precisely analyze cell differentiation using the apparatuses.